With lithe celebrities like Anne Hathaway and Gwyneth Paltrow praising the health benefits of meat-free diets, it's no wonder that many people think a vegetarian diet may be the key to losing weight. In fact, though, there's no easy fix for weight loss. While a vegetarian diet can be part of an overall weight-loss plan -- and may make some parts of losing weight a little easier -- you'll still have to eat less and move more if you want to lose weight.
Identification
Not all vegetarian diets are created equal, explains Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky on MayoClinic.com. Your reasons for becoming a vegetarian -- whether they're religious, ethical or health-related -- will likely dictate what kind of vegetarian you are. Some vegetarians consume animal products such as milk and honey, while others -- called vegans -- eschew any food with an animal source. The fewer animal products you consume, the lower your daily calorie intake is likely to be, explains Zeratsky. Because of this, most vegetarians consume fewer calories per day than omnivores do.
Facts About Weight Loss
The only way to lose weight is to change your caloric balance so that you're burning more calories than you consume every day. To do this, you'll need to reduce the number of calories you eat and increase your activity level to burn more calories. Statistically, vegetarians eat fewer calories per day than omnivores, according to the Weight-control Information Network maintained by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. So becoming a vegetarian won't automatically make you lose weight, but it can make cutting calories easier.
Considerations
A high-fat, high-calorie vegetarian diet probably won't help you lose weight. Instead, focus on a balanced diet that gives you plenty of iron, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, zinc and protein -- essential nutrients that vegetarians may need to make an extra effort to consume in healthy quantities. Talk to your health-care provider about your weight-loss plans so you can determine the best daily calorie count for your diet. And plan to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-intense exercise every day to help burn more calories. The amount of weight you can lose with a vegetarian diet depends on your current weight, age and activity level.
Warning
A vegetarian diet can be perfectly healthy, but in some cases, an extreme vegetarian diet or a vegetarian diet with an unhealthy emphasis on weight loss may mask a more serious condition such as anorexia, warns New York University's HealthWise.
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